Improvement in table-cutlery



G; `L. HART & H. FISHER.

Table-Cutlery.

'NITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE,-

GEORGE L. HART AND HENRY FISHER, OF BRIDGEPORT, ASSIGNORS TO JAMES D.FRARY, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNEGTIOUT.

IM PROVEMENT IN TABLE-CUTLERY.

Specification forming part of Letters Paten t No. 209,(379, datedNovember 5, 1878; application filed October 12, 1878.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEO. L. HART and HENRY FIsHER, of Bridgeport, inthe county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a newImprovement in Table-Cutlery; and we do hereby declare the following,when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the lettersof reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, and which said drawings constitute part of thisspecification, and represent, in i Figure 1, longitudinal section; Fig.2, the handle as prepared to receive the tang.

This invention relates to an improvement in securing the handles oftable-cutlery, but particularly to that class in which the handles aremade from wood.

A great difficulty is experienced in securing the handles so thatwashing or heating will not loosen the blade in the. handle.

The object of this invention is to overcome this difficulty 5 and itconsists in constructing the tang with a barb or enlargement, and thensoftenng the handle, as by steaming, and forcing the enlarged or barbedend into the hole bored in the handle for the purpose, the barb forcingan expansion of the soft wood, and then the wood, dryin g, contractsupon the barb, and so as to secure the handle and blade together.

The blade A, whether it be knife or fork, is constructed with a tang, B,and at some point on the tang, preferably near the end, a barb orenlargement, a, is made, and so that the tan g at that point isconsiderably larger than that portion nearer the blade. This may be madeby simply cutting the barb on the tang, the blade and tang both cut froma sheet of steel.

The handle is made from wood of the class commonly called solid handles,and is bored at its bolster end, as at G, to receive the tan g of theblade, and in substantially the usnal .manner. The handleis softened bysteaming or soaking, and then the tang is forced into place, as seen 'inFig. 1, the softened wood readily yielding for the barb or enlargement ato enter the hole; then, drying the handlc, tle wood contracts upon thetang, so as to completely lock over the barb or enlargement andinseparably secure the blade and handle together.

I am aware that handles have been Secured to table-cutlery by a tang orroughness on the handle, as in the use of rbber, and also that barbedtangs have been Secured by filling in around the tang with sulphur orother material, and therefore do not broadly claim securing cutlery tohandles by means of a barb formed on the tan g.

We claim- The berem-described process for securing tanged cutlery tosolid Wood handles, consisting in forcing the barbed or enlarged tanginto the softened Wood handle, so that the wood in dryingcontracts uponthe said barb or enlargement, substantially as described.

i GEORGE L. HART. HENRY FISHER.

Witnesses:

OREN S. MANLEY, ITHAMAR MEEKER.

